Driving method, driving device, and display terminal of display panel

ABSTRACT

The present application provides a driving method, a driving device, and a display terminal of a display panel. The display panel includes light emitting elements. The driving method includes: obtaining a grayscale data of a displayed image; determining a target current level from preset multiple current levels according to the grayscale data; determining a pulse width modulation signal according to the grayscale data; and driving the light emitting elements to emit light according to the target current level and the pulse width modulation signal.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

The present application relates to a field of display panels and inparticular, to a driving method and a driving device, and a displayterminal of a display panel.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

In conventional techniques, a driving chip of a mini-LED has only onecurrent, and relies on high currents and low duty cycles to realize lowgrayscale display functions of a display panel. However, the displaypanel mostly displays low grayscales, that is, the mini-LED works at alow duty cycle most of the time. Although PWM dimming frequencies arehigh, an actual utilization rate can be only 20% to 40%, causing a lossof details of the low grayscales displayed.

SUMMARY

The present application provides a driving method, a driving device, anda display terminal of a display panel, which can improve fineness ofgrayscale images displayed.

The present application provides a driving method of a display panel,wherein the display panel comprises a plurality of light emittingelements, the driving method comprises following steps:

-   -   obtaining a grayscale data of a displayed image;    -   determining a target current level from preset multiple current        levels according to the grayscale data;    -   determining a pulse width modulation signal according to the        grayscale data; and    -   driving the light emitting elements to emit light according to        the target current level and the pulse width modulation signal.

Optionally, the smaller the grayscale data is, the lower thecorresponding current level is.

Optionally, the driving method of the display panel further comprisesfollowing steps:

-   -   determining a display brightness range of the display panel;    -   determining a current range corresponding to the display        brightness range; and    -   setting the multiple current levels in the current range.

Optionally, the step of setting the multiple current levels in thecurrent range comprises: uniformly selecting multiple current values inthe current range, the current values comprising a maximum current valueand a minimum current value in the current range; and taking the currentvalues as the current levels.

Optionally, the driving method of the display panel further comprises:

-   -   determining a display grayscale range of the display panel;    -   equally dividing the display grayscale range into multiple        grayscale ranges; and    -   establishing a one-to-one correspondence between the current        levels and the grayscale ranges.

Optionally, the displayed image comprises a plurality of pixel subareas,and the grayscale data comprises a subarea grayscale value of each ofthe pixel subareas; and

-   -   the step of obtaining the grayscale data of the displayed image        comprises:    -   obtaining a grayscale value of each of pixels in the displayed        image; and    -   taking each of the pixel subareas as a target pixel subarea,        calculating an average grayscale value of all the pixels in the        target pixel subarea, and taking the average grayscale value as        the subarea grayscale value of the target pixel subarea.

Optionally, the target current level comprises a subarea current levelcorresponding to each of the pixel subareas; and

-   -   the step of determining the target current level from the preset        multiple current levels according to the grayscale data        comprises:    -   determining a target grayscale range to which the subarea        grayscale value of the target pixel subarea belongs according to        a grayscale range corresponding to each of the preset current        levels; and    -   taking the current level corresponding to the target grayscale        range as the subarea current level corresponding to the target        pixel subarea.

Optionally, the pulse width modulation signal comprises a pulse widthmodulation sub-signal corresponding to each of the pixel subareas; and

-   -   the step of determining the pulse width modulation signal        according to the grayscale data comprises:    -   when the subarea current level corresponding to the target pixel        subarea is a maximum current level, determining the pulse width        modulation sub-signal corresponding to the target pixel subarea        according to the subarea grayscale value of the target pixel        subarea; and    -   when the subarea current level corresponding to the target pixel        subarea is not the maximum current level, determining a        compensated subarea grayscale value from a preset grayscale        compensation table according to the subarea grayscale value of        the target pixel subarea, and determining the pulse width        modulation sub-signal of the target pixel subarea according to        the compensated subarea grayscale value.

Optionally, the light emitting elements are divided into a plurality ofbacklight subareas, and the backlight subareas are arrangedcorresponding to the pixel subareas in a one-to-one correspondence; and

-   -   the step of driving the light emitting elements to emit light        according to the target current level and the pulse width        modulation signal comprises:    -   driving the light emitting element in the backlight subarea        corresponding to the target pixel subarea to emit light        according to the subarea current level and the pulse width        modulation sub-signal corresponding to the target pixel subarea.

The present application further provides a driving device of a displaypanel, wherein the display panel comprises a plurality of light emittingelements, and the driving device comprises:

-   -   an acquisition module configured to obtain a grayscale data of a        displayed image;    -   a current determining module configured to determine a target        current level from preset multiple current levels according to        the grayscale data;    -   a signal determining module configured to determine a pulse        width modulation signal according to the grayscale data; and    -   a driving module configured to drive the light emitting elements        to emit light according to the target current level and the        pulse width modulation signal.

Optionally, the smaller the grayscale data is, the lower thecorresponding current level is.

Optionally, the driving device of the display panel further comprises asetting module, wherein the setting module is configured for:

-   -   determining a display brightness range of the display panel;    -   determining a current range corresponding to the display        brightness range; and    -   setting the multiple current levels in the current range.

Optionally, the setting module is further configured for:

-   -   uniformly selecting multiple current values in the current        range, the current values comprising a maximum current value and        a minimum current value in the current range; and    -   taking the current values as the current levels.

Optionally, the driving device of the display panel further comprises anestablishment module, and the establishment module is configured for:

-   -   determining a display grayscale range of the display panel;    -   equally dividing the display grayscale range into multiple        grayscale ranges; and    -   establishing a one-to-one correspondence between the current        levels and the grayscale ranges.

Optionally, the displayed image comprises a plurality of pixel subareas,and the grayscale data comprises a subarea grayscale value of each ofthe pixel subareas; and

-   -   the acquisition module is also configured for:    -   obtaining a grayscale value of each of pixels in the displayed        image; and    -   taking each of the pixel subareas as a target pixel subarea,        calculating an average grayscale value of all the pixels in the        target pixel subarea, and taking the average grayscale value as        the subarea grayscale value of the target pixel subarea.

Optionally, the target current level comprises a subarea current levelcorresponding to each of the pixel subareas; and

-   -   the current determining module is also configured for:    -   determining a target grayscale range to which the subarea        grayscale value of the target pixel subarea belongs according to        a grayscale range corresponding to each of the preset current        levels; and    -   taking the current level corresponding to the target grayscale        range as the subarea current level corresponding to the target        pixel subarea.

Optionally, the pulse width modulation signal comprises a pulse widthmodulation sub-signal corresponding to each of the pixel subareas; andthe signal determining module is also configured for:

-   -   when the subarea current level corresponding to the target pixel        subarea is a maximum current level, determining the pulse width        modulation sub-signal corresponding to the target pixel subarea        according to the subarea grayscale value of the target pixel        subarea; and    -   when the subarea current level corresponding to the target pixel        subarea is not the maximum current level, determining a        compensated subarea grayscale value from a preset grayscale        compensation table according to the subarea grayscale value of        the target pixel subarea, and determining the pulse width        modulation sub-signal of the target pixel subarea according to        the compensated grayscale value.

Optionally, the light emitting elements are divided into a plurality ofbacklight subareas, and the backlight subareas are arrangedcorresponding to the pixel subareas in a one-to-one correspondence; and

-   -   the driving module is also configured for:    -   driving the light emitting element in the backlight subarea        corresponding to the target pixel subarea to emit light        according to the subarea current level and the pulse width        modulation sub-signal corresponding to the target pixel subarea.

The present application provides a display terminal, comprising aprocessor and a memory, wherein the processor is electrically connectedto the memory, the memory is configured for storing instructions anddata, and the processor is configured for executing following steps:

-   -   obtaining a grayscale data of a displayed image;    -   determining a target current level from preset multiple current        levels according to the grayscale data;    -   determining a pulse width modulation signal according to the        grayscale data; and    -   driving light emitting elements to emit light according to the        target current level and the pulse width modulation signal.

Optionally, the smaller the grayscale data is, the lower thecorresponding current level is.

Advantages of the Present Application

The present application can obtain the grayscale data of the displayedimage, determine the target current level from the preset multiplecurrent levels according to the grayscale data, and determine the pulsewidth modulation signal according to the grayscale data, so as to drivethe light emitting elements in the display panel to emit light accordingto the target current level and the pulse width modulation signal, sothat different current levels are used to display different grayscalesand improve the fineness of different grayscales displayed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present application will be described in detail below with referenceto the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, so that thetechnical solutions and other beneficial effects of the presentapplication are easily understood.

FIG. 1 is a schematic process flow diagram illustrating a driving methodof a display panel according to one embodiment of the presentapplication.

FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating a relationship between brightness andcurrent in the driving method of the display panel according to oneembodiment of the present application.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a format of an SDO signal inthe driving method of the display panel according to one embodiment ofthe present application.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a drivingdevice of the display panel according to one embodiment of the presentapplication.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a displayterminal according to one embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating another structure of thedisplay terminal according to one embodiment of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The specific structure and functional details disclosed herein are onlyrepresentative, and are used for the purpose of describing exampleembodiments of the present application. However, the present applicationcan be realized in many alternative forms, and should not be construedas being limited only to the embodiments set forth herein.

In the description of the present application, it should be understoodthat the directional terms “center”, “lateral”, “upper”, “lower”,“left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, and“outer” are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown inthe accompanying drawings. The directional terms are only for theconvenience of describing the present application and simplifying thedescription, rather than indicating or implying that the device orelement referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed andoperated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be construed asa limitation to the present application. In addition, the terms “first”and “second” are only used for illustrative purposes, and cannot beunderstood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitlyindicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, thefeatures defined with “first” and “second” may explicitly or implicitlyinclude one or more of these features. In the description of the presentapplication, unless otherwise specified, “multiple” means two or more.In addition, the term “comprising” and any variations thereof areintended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

In the description of this application, it should be noted that theterms “mounted”, “connected”, and “coupled” should be understood in abroad sense unless otherwise clearly specified and defined. For example,elements can be fixedly connected, or detachably connected, orintegrally connected; elements can be a mechanically connected orelectrically connected; elements can be directly connected or indirectlyconnected through an intermediate medium; and internal spaces of twoelements can communicate with each other. For those of ordinary skill inthe art, the specific meaning of the above-mentioned terms in thepresent application can be understood on a case-by-case basis.

The terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments andare not intended to limit the example embodiments. Unless the contextclearly specifies otherwise, singular forms “a” and “one” used hereinare also intended to include plural forms. It should also be understoodthat the terms “including” and/or “comprising” used herein indicate thepresence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, units,and/or components, and do not exclude the presence or addition of one ormore of other features, integers, steps, operations, units, components,and/or combinations thereof.

The present application is further described below in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings and embodiments.

The present application provides a driving method of a display panel.The display panel comprises a plurality of light emitting elements, thelight emitting elements can be distributed in an array, the lightemitting elements can be divided into a plurality of backlight subareas,and each backlight subarea comprises the at least one light emittingelement. The light emitting element can be a mini-LED, a micro-LED, orthe like. The display panel also comprises a TCON (timer controlregister), a controller, and a driving chip. The TCON is electricallyconnected to the controller, the controller is electrically connected tothe driving chip, and the driving chip is electrically connected to thelight emitting elements.

Referring to FIG. 1 , in the present application, the driving method ofthe display panel comprises steps 101 to 104, specifically as follows:

Step 101: Obtaining a Grayscale Data of a Displayed Image.

In the present embodiment, the displayed image is composed of multiplepixels, each pixel can display different brightness, and grayscalesrepresent different levels of brightness from the brightest to thedarkest. Therefore, according to the brightness of each pixel in thedisplayed image, TCON can obtain a grayscale value of each pixel andtransmit it to the controller.

In a first embodiment, the grayscale data is an average grayscale valueof the displayed image. After obtaining the grayscale value of eachpixel in the displayed image, the controller calculates the averagegrayscale value of all the pixels in the displayed image, and takes theaverage grayscale value as the grayscale data of the displayed image.

In a second embodiment, the displayed image is divided into a pluralityof pixel subareas, each pixel subarea comprises at least one pixel, andthe grayscale data comprises a subarea grayscale value of each pixelsubarea.

In detail, in step 101, the obtaining the grayscale data of thedisplayed image comprises:

-   -   obtaining a grayscale value of each of the pixels in the        displayed image; and    -   taking each of the pixel subareas as a target pixel subarea,        calculating an average grayscale value of all the pixels in the        target pixel subarea, and taking the average grayscale value as        the subarea grayscale value of the target pixel subarea.

The controller calculates the average grayscale value of all pixels ineach pixel subarea after obtaining the grayscale value of each pixel inthe displayed image. The average grayscale value is the subareagrayscale value of the corresponding pixel subarea, so as to obtain thesubarea grayscale value of each pixel subarea. The subarea grayscalevalues of different pixel subareas can be different.

Step 102: Determining a Target Current Level from Preset MultipleCurrent Levels According to the Grayscale Data.

In the present embodiment, the multiple current levels are preset,multiple grayscale ranges are preset, and a one-to-one correspondencebetween the multiple current levels and the multiple grayscale ranges isestablished. The higher the current level, the larger the correspondinggrayscale range; the lower the current level, the smaller thecorresponding grayscale range; and there is no intersection between thegrayscale ranges.

The current levels are set according to a display brightness range ofthe display panel. Specifically, the driving method further comprises:determining the display brightness range of the display panel;determining a current range corresponding to the display brightnessrange; and setting the multiple current levels in the current range.

It should be noted that a maximum display brightness in the displaybrightness range can be set according to actual requirements. Forexample, the maximum display brightness is set to 1600 nits as required.A minimum display brightness in the display brightness range isbrightness when a completely white screen is displayed. The minimumdisplay brightness is, for example, 600 nits. The display brightnessrange can be determined according to the maximum display brightness andthe minimum display brightness. The display brightness range is, forexample, from 600 nits to 1600 nits.

Then, according to a corresponding relationship between light emittingbrightness of the light emitting element and a driving current, acurrent range corresponding to the display brightness range can bedetermined. As shown in FIG. 2 , FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating arelationship between the light emitting brightness of the light emittingelement and the driving current. It can be known that the light emittingbrightness is positively correlated with the driving current. That is tosay, the greater the light emitting brightness, the higher the drivingcurrent; and the lesser the light emitting brightness, the lower thedriving current. A maximum current value corresponding to the maximumdisplay brightness and a minimum current value corresponding to theminimum display brightness can be determined through the curverelationship graph, and then the current range can be determined. Forexample, the maximum current value corresponding to the maximum displaybrightness of 1600 nits is 7 mA, the minimum current value correspondingto the minimum display brightness of 600 nits is 1 mA, and then thecurrent range is from 1 mA to 7 mA.

After the current range is determined, multiple current values in thecurrent range are set as the current levels. Specifically, the step ofsetting the current levels in the current range comprises: uniformlyselecting multiple current values from the current range, wherein thecurrent values comprise the maximum current value and the minimumcurrent value in the current range; and taking the current values as thecurrent levels.

There are at least two current levels set, that is, the maximum currentvalue and the minimum current value in the current range arerespectively set as the current levels. On this basis, it is alsopossible to select current values at fixed intervals between the maximumcurrent value and the minimum current value to be the current levels.For example, when four current levels are set in the current range of 1mA to 7 mA, 1 mA is first set as the lowest current level, 7 mA is setas the highest current level, and then the current levels are set atintervals of 1 mA between 1 mA and 7 mA. That is to say, 3 mA and 5 mAare respectively set as the current levels, so that the four currentlevels are 1 mA, 3 mA, 5 mA, and 7 mA, respectively.

After the current levels are determined, it is also necessary to set thegrayscale range corresponding to each current level. Specifically, thedriving method further comprises: determining a display grayscale rangeof the display panel; equally dividing the display grayscale range intomultiple grayscale ranges; and establishing a one-to-one correspondencebetween the current levels and the grayscale ranges.

First, the display grayscale range is determined according to a colordepth (bits per pixel) of the displayed image. For example, if thedisplayed image has a 15-bit color depth, a number of display grayscalesis 2¹⁵=32768, and the display grayscale range is from 0 to 32767. Then,according to a number of the current levels, the display grayscale rangeis equally divided, that is, a number of the grayscale ranges after thedivision is equal to the number of the current levels, so as toestablish a one-to-one correspondence between the multiple currentlevels and the multiple grayscale ranges. The higher the current levels,the larger the grayscale range; and the lower the current levels, thesmaller the grayscale range. For example, the two current levels are 1mA and respectively, so that the display grayscale range from 0 to 32768is divided into two grayscale ranges of 16384 to 32767 and 0 to 16383, acorresponding relationship between the current level of 1 mA and thegrayscale range of 16384 to 32767 is established, and a correspondingrelationship between the current level of 0.5 mA and the grayscale rangeof 0 to 16383 is established.

In the first embodiment, the controller determines the grayscale range,to which the grayscale data of the displayed image belongs, from thegrayscale range corresponding to each current level, and determines thecurrent level corresponding to the grayscale range as the target currentlevel.

In the second embodiment, the displayed image is divided into aplurality of pixel subareas, and the target current level comprises asubarea current level corresponding to each of the pixel subareas.

To be specific, in step 102, the determining the target current levelfrom the preset multiple current levels according to the grayscale datacomprises:

-   -   determining a target grayscale range to which the subarea        grayscale value of the target pixel subarea belongs according to        the grayscale range corresponding to each of the preset current        levels; and    -   taking the current level corresponding to the target grayscale        range as the subarea current level corresponding to the target        pixel subarea.

For each pixel subarea, the controller determines the grayscale range towhich the subarea grayscale value of the pixel subarea belongs, andtakes the current level corresponding to the grayscale range as thesubarea current level corresponding to the pixel subarea. The subareacurrent levels corresponding to different pixel subareas can bedifferent. For example, the subarea grayscale value of a pixel subarea Ais 16450, the corresponding grayscale range is from 16384 to 32767, andthe corresponding current level is 8 mA, so the subarea current levelcorresponding to the pixel subarea A is 8 mA; the subarea grayscalevalue of a pixel subarea B is 30, the corresponding grayscale range isfrom 0 to 16383, and the corresponding current level is 1 mA, so thesubarea current level corresponding to the pixel subarea B is 1 mA.

Step 103: Determining a Pulse Width Modulation Signal According to theGrayscale Data.

When the target current level is different, a different method is usedto determine the pulse width modulation signal according to thegrayscale data.

In the first embodiment, the controller determines the pulse widthmodulation signal while determining the target current level accordingto the grayscale data of the displayed image. If the target currentlevel is the maximum current level among the preset multiple currentlevels, the grayscale data of the displayed image can be directlyconverted into the pulse width modulation signal. If the target currentlevel is not the maximum current level among the preset multiple currentlevels, it is required to check a preset grayscale compensation table tocompensate the grayscale data of the displayed image to obtain acompensated grayscale data, and the compensated grayscale data isconverted into the pulse width modulation signal.

In the second embodiment, the displayed image is divided into themultiple pixel subareas, and the pulse width modulation signal comprisesa pulse width modulation sub-signal corresponding to each of the pixelsubareas.

Specifically, in step 103, the determining the pulse width modulationsignal according to the grayscale data comprises:

-   -   when the subarea current level corresponding to the target pixel        subarea is the maximum current level, determining the pulse        width modulation sub-signal corresponding to the target pixel        subarea according to the subarea grayscale value of the target        pixel subarea; when the subarea current level corresponding to        the target pixel subarea is not the maximum current level,        determining a compensated subarea grayscale value from the        preset grayscale compensation table according to the subarea        grayscale value of the target pixel subarea, and determining the        pulse width modulation sub-signal corresponding to the target        pixel subarea according to the compensated subarea grayscale        value.

For each pixel subarea, the controller determines whether the subareagrayscale value corresponding to the pixel subarea is within thegrayscale range corresponding to the largest current level among themultiple current levels. If affirmative, the pulse width modulationsub-signal corresponding to the pixel subarea is consistent with thesubarea grayscale value of the pixel subarea, and the subarea grayscalevalue of the pixel subarea can be directly converted into thecorresponding pulse width modulation sub-signal. If negative, the presetgrayscale compensation table is checked to compensate the subareagrayscale value of the pixel subarea to obtain the compensated subareagrayscale value, and the compensated subarea grayscale value isconverted into the pulse width modulation signal.

For example, the subarea grayscale value of the pixel subarea A is16450, the corresponding subarea current level is 8 mA (the maximumcurrent level), and the subarea grayscale value which is 16450 isconverted into the pulse width modulation sub-signal corresponding tothe pixel subarea A. The subarea grayscale value of the pixel subarea Bis 30, and the corresponding subarea current level is 1 mA (not themaximum current level), the grayscale compensation table is checked todetermine that the compensated subarea grayscale value is 32, and thenthe compensated subarea grayscale value which is 32 is converted intothe pulse width modulation sub-signal corresponding to the pixel subareaB.

Step 104: Driving the Light Emitting Elements to Emit Light According tothe Target Current Level and the Pulse Width Modulation Signal.

It should be noted that after determining the target current level andthe pulse width modulation signal, the controller can convert the targetcurrent level into a level indicator, and send the level indicator andthe pulse width modulation signal to the driving chip through a fixedbit data. For example, an SDO signal is used to send the level indicatorand the pulse width modulation signal, the SDO signal has 16 bits, thepulse width modulation signal is at least 12 bits, and the levelindicator is at least 1 bit, a number of bits of the level indicator iscorrelated with the number of the current levels. As shown in FIG. 3 ,D0 to D14 are pulse width modulation signals. That is to say, the pulsewidth modulation signal has 15 bits, and A is the level indicator. Inother words, the level indicator has 1 bit, and the number of thecurrent levels is two. For example, when the target current level is 8mA, the corresponding level indicator is determined to be 1; and whenthe target current level is 1 mA, the corresponding current indicator isdetermined to be 0. When the number of the current levels is 4, settingcan be made such that 2 bits are for the level indicator (i.e., thelevel indicator consists of 2 bits), and 14 bits are for the pulse widthmodulation signal. When the number of the current levels is 8, settingcan be made such that 3 bits are for the level indicator, and 13 bitsare for the pulse width modulation signal.

A corresponding relationship between the level indicators and thecurrent levels is stored in the driving chip. After receiving the SDOsignal, the driving chip recognizes the level indicator and the pulsewidth modulation signal in the SDO signal, and determines the targetcurrent level corresponding to the level indicator. For example, whenthe level indicator is 1, the target current level is determined to be 8mA, and when the level indicator is 0, the target current level isdetermined to be 1 mA.

In the first embodiment, the driving chip outputs a current to all thelight emitting elements in the display panel according to the targetcurrent level and the pulse width modulation signal, so as to drive allthe light emitting elements to emit light.

In the second embodiment, the displayed image is divided into the pixelsubareas, all light emitting elements in the display panel are dividedinto a plurality of backlight subareas, each backlight subarea comprisesat least one light emitting element, and the backlight subareas arearranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the pixel subareas.

Specifically, in step 104, the driving the light emitting elements toemit light according to the target current level and the pulse widthmodulation signal comprises:

-   -   driving the light emitting element in the backlight subarea        corresponding to the target pixel subarea to emit light        according to the subarea current level and the pulse width        modulation sub-signal corresponding to the target pixel subarea.

For each pixel subarea, the driving chip receives the SDO signalcorresponding to the pixel subarea, recognizes the level indicator inthe SDO signal, determines the subarea current level of the pixelsubarea, and identifies from the SDO signal the pulse width modulationsub-signal corresponding to the pixel subarea, so as to output thecurrent to the light emitting elements in the backlight subareacorresponding to the pixel subarea according to the subarea currentlevel and the pulse width modulation sub-signal corresponding to thepixel subarea to drive the light emitting elements in the backlightsubarea to emit light.

For example, for 1 grayscale, the minimum current output to the lightemitting element in the conventional technique is

${\frac{1}{2^{15}} \times 8{mA}},$

and the minimum current output to the light emitting elements in thepresent embodiment of the present application can be

$\frac{1}{2^{15}} \times 8{{mA}.}$

In the present embodiment, for low grayscales, lower current levels canbe used to drive the corresponding light-emitting elements to increasefineness of low grayscale dimming and compensate details for the lowgrayscales.

The present application can obtain the grayscale data of the displayedimage, determine the target current level from the preset multiplecurrent levels according to the grayscale data, and determine the pulsewidth modulation signal according to the grayscale data, so as to drivethe light emitting elements in the display panel to emit light accordingto the target current level and the pulse width modulation signal, sothat different current levels are used to display different grayscales,and the fineness of different grayscales displayed is improved.

Correspondingly, the present application also provides a driving deviceof the display panel, which can realize all processes of the drivingmethod of the display panel in the above-mentioned embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the present application provides a driving deviceof a display panel, wherein the display panel comprises a plurality oflight emitting elements, and the driving device comprises:

-   -   an acquisition module 10 configured to obtain a grayscale data        of a displayed image;    -   a current determining module 20 configured to determine a target        current level from preset multiple current levels according to        the grayscale data;    -   a signal determining module 30 configured to determine a pulse        width modulation signal according to the grayscale data; and    -   a driving module 40 configured to drive the light emitting        elements to emit light according to the target current level and        the pulse width modulation signal.

Furthermore, the smaller the grayscale data is, the lower thecorresponding current level is.

Furthermore, the driving device comprises a setting module, wherein thesetting module is configured for:

-   -   determining a display brightness range of the display panel;    -   determining a current range corresponding to the display        brightness range; and    -   setting the multiple current levels in the current range.

Furthermore, the setting module is further configured for:

-   -   uniformly selecting multiple current values in the current        range, the current values comprising a maximum current value and        a minimum current value in the current range; and    -   taking the multiple current values as the current levels.

Furthermore, the driving device further comprises an establishmentmodule, and the establishment module is configured for:

-   -   determining the display grayscale range of the display panel;    -   equally dividing the display grayscale range into multiple        grayscale ranges; and    -   establishing a one-to-one correspondence between the current        levels and the grayscale ranges.

Furthermore, the displayed image comprises a plurality of pixelsubareas, and the grayscale data comprises a subarea grayscale value ofeach of the pixel subareas;

-   -   the acquisition module 10 is also configured for:    -   obtaining a grayscale value of each of pixels in the displayed        image; and taking each of the pixel subareas as a target pixel        subarea, calculating an average grayscale value of all the        pixels in the target pixel subarea, and taking the average        grayscale value as the subarea grayscale value of the target        pixel subarea.

Furthermore, the target current level comprises a subarea current levelcorresponding to each of the pixel subareas;

-   -   the current determining module is also configured for:    -   determining a target grayscale range to which the subarea        grayscale value of the target pixel subarea belongs according to        the grayscale range corresponding to each of the preset current        levels; and    -   taking the current level corresponding to the target grayscale        range as the subarea current level corresponding to the target        pixel subarea.

Furthermore, the pulse width modulation signal comprises a pulse widthmodulation sub-signal corresponding to each of the pixel subareas;

-   -   the signal determining module is also configured for:    -   when the subarea current level corresponding to the target pixel        subarea is a maximum current level, determining a pulse width        modulation sub-signal corresponding to the target pixel subarea        according to the subarea grayscale value of the target pixel        subarea; and    -   when the subarea current level corresponding to the target pixel        subarea is not the maximum current level, determining a        compensated subarea grayscale value from a preset grayscale        compensation table, and determining the pulse width modulation        sub-signal of the target pixel subarea according to the        compensated subarea grayscale value.

Furthermore, the light emitting elements are divided into a plurality ofbacklight subareas, and the backlight subareas are arrangedcorresponding to the pixel subareas in a one-to-one correspondence;

-   -   the driving module is also configured for:    -   driving the light emitting element in the backlight subarea        corresponding to the target pixel subarea to emit light        according to the subarea current level and the pulse width        modulation sub-signal corresponding to the target pixel subarea.

The present application can obtain the grayscale data of the displayedimage, determine the target current level from the preset multiplecurrent levels according to the grayscale data, and determine the pulsewidth modulation signal according to the grayscale data, so as to drivethe light emitting elements in the display panel to emit light accordingto the target current level and the pulse width modulation signal, sothat different current levels are used to display different grayscales,and fineness of different grayscales displayed is improved.

In addition, the present application further provides a displayterminal, which may be a device such as a smart phone, a tabletcomputer, or a television. As shown in FIG. 5 , a display terminal 400comprises a processor 401 and a memory 402. The processor 401 and thememory 402 are electrically connected to each other.

The processor 401 is a control center of the display terminal 400. Theprocessor 401 uses various interfaces and lines to connect various partsof the entire display terminal 400. By running or loading applicationprograms stored in the memory 402, and accessing data stored in thememory 402, the processor 401 executes various functions and processesdata of the display terminal, so as to monitor the entire displayterminal.

In the present embodiment, the acquisition module 10, the currentdetermining module 20, the signal determining module 30, and the drivingmodule 40 shown in FIG. 4 can be application programs stored in thememory 402. The processor 401 in the display terminal 400 runs theacquisition module 10, the current determining module 20, the signaldetermining module 30, and the driving module 40 stored in the memory402, so as to realize various functions. When the acquisition module 10is executed by the processor 401, the acquisition module 10 is used toobtain the grayscale data of the displayed image. When the currentdetermining module 20 is executed by the processor 401, the currentdetermining module 20 is used to determine the target current level fromthe preset multiple current levels according to the grayscale data. Whenthe signal determining module 30 is executed by the processor 401, thesignal determining module 30 is used to determine the pulse widthmodulation signal according to the grayscale data. When the drivingmodule 40 is executed by the processor 401, the driving module 40 isused to drive the light emitting elements to emit light according to thetarget current levels and the pulse width modulation signal.

Please refer to FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a structure ofa display terminal 300 according to one embodiment of the presentapplication. The display terminal 300 can comprise: an RF circuit 310; amemory 320 comprising one or more computer-readable storage media; aninput unit 330; a display unit 340; a sensor 350; an audio circuit 360;a speaker 361; a microphone 362; a transmission module 370; a processor380 with one or more processing cores; a power supply 390; and othercomponents. Those skilled in the art can understand that the structureof the display terminal shown in FIG. 6 does not constitute a limitationto the display terminal, and can comprise more or less components thanthose shown in the drawing, or can combine certain components, or canhave a different arrangement for the components.

The RF circuit 310 is used to receive and send electromagnetic waves,realize a mutual conversion between the electromagnetic waves andelectrical signals, and communicate with a communication network orother devices. The RF circuit 310 can comprise various conventionalcircuit elements for performing these functions, for example, anantenna, a radio frequency transceiver, a digital signal processor, anencryption/decryption chip, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, amemory, etc. The RF circuit 310 can communicate with various networkssuch as the Internet, an intranet, and a wireless network, or cancommunicate with other devices through a wireless network. Theaforementioned wireless network can comprise a cellular telephonenetwork, a wireless local area network, or a metropolitan area network.The above-mentioned wireless network can use various communicationstandards, protocols, and technologies, comprising but not limited toglobal system for mobile communication (GSM), enhanced data GSMenvironment (EDGE), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), codedivision access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), wirelessfidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE802.11g, and/orIEEE 802.11n, which are standards made by the U.S. Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers), voice over internet protocol(VoIP), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (Wi-Max), otherprotocols for mail, instant messaging and short messages, and any othersuitable communication protocols, even those that have not yet beendeveloped.

The memory 320 can be used to store software programs and modules. Theprocessor 380 executes various functional applications and processesdata by running the software programs and the modules stored in thememory 320, that is, achieving a function of automatically supplementinglight while taking pictures using a front camera. The memory 320 cancomprise a high-speed random access memory, and can also comprise anon-volatile memory, such as one or more of a magnetic storage device, aflash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memory. In someexamples, the memory 320 can further comprise remote memories remotelyarranged with respect to the processor 380, and these remote memoriescan be connected to the display terminal 300 via a network. Examples ofthe aforementioned networks comprise, but are not limited to, theInternet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks,and combinations thereof.

The input unit 330 can be used to receive inputted digital or characterinformation, and input signals from a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, anoptical trackball, or a trackball related to user settings and functioncontrol. Specifically, the input unit 330 can comprise a touch-sensitivesurface 331 and other input devices 332. The touch-sensitive surface331, also called a touch screen or a touchpad, can collect a user'stouch operations on or near the touch-sensitive surface 331 (forexample, the user uses any suitable objects or accessories such asfingers and a stylus to perform operations on or near thetouch-sensitive surface 331), and drive a corresponding connectiondevice according to the preset program. Optionally, the touch-sensitivesurface 331 can comprise two parts: a touch detection device and a touchcontroller. The touch detection device detects the user's touchposition, and detects signals of the touch operation, and transmits thesignal to the touch controller. The touch controller receives touchinformation from the touch detection device, converts it into contactcoordinates, and then sends it to the processor 380, and can receive andexecute commands sent by the processor 380. In addition, thetouch-sensitive surface 331 can be realized using various types oftechnologies such as resistive, capacitive, infrared, and surfaceacoustic wave. In addition to the touch-sensitive surface 331, the inputunit 330 can also include other input devices 332. Specifically, theother input device 332 can include, but is not limited to, one or moreof a physical keyboard, function keys (such as a volume control button,a switch button, etc.), a trackball, a mouse, or a joystick.

The display unit 340 can be used to display information input by theuser or information provided to the user and display various graphicaluser interfaces of the display terminal 300. These graphical userinterfaces can be composed of graphics, text, icons, videos, and anycombination thereof. The display unit 340 can comprise a display panel341. Optionally, the display panel 341 can be a liquid crystal display(LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), etc. Furthermore, thetouch-sensitive surface 331 can cover the display panel 341, and whenthe touch-sensitive surface 331 detects the touch operation on or nearit, information of a touch event is transmitted to the processor 380 todetermine a type of the touch event, and then the processor 380 providesa corresponding visual output on the display panel 341 according to thetype of the touch event. Although in FIG. 5 , the touch-sensitivesurface 331 and the display panel 341 are used as two independentcomponents to realize input and output functions. In some embodiments,the touch-sensitive surface 331 and the display panel 341 can beintegrated together to realize the input and output functions.

The display terminal 300 can also comprise at least one sensor 350 suchas a light sensor, a motion sensor, and other sensors. Specifically, thelight sensor can comprise an ambient light sensor and a proximitysensor. The ambient light sensor can adjust the brightness of thedisplay panel 341 according to brightness of the ambient light, and theproximity sensor can turn off the display panel 341 and/or a backlightwhen the display terminal 300 is moved to be close to the ear. As onetype of the motion sensor, a gravity acceleration sensor can detectmagnitude of acceleration in various directions (usually three axes),and can detect magnitude and directions of the gravity in a stationarystate. The gravity acceleration sensor can be used in applications toidentify mobile phone postures (such as switching between a horizontalscreen and a vertical screen, related games, a magnetometer posturecalibration), vibration recognition related functions (such aspedometers and percussion), etc. As for other sensors, such asgyroscopes, barometers, hygrometers, thermometers, infrared sensors, andthe like that can be disposed in the display terminal 300, a detaileddescription thereof is omitted herein for brevity.

Regarding the audio circuit 360, the speaker 361, and the microphone362, the microphone 362 can provide an audio interface between the userand the display terminal 300. The audio circuit 360 can transmitelectrical signals converted from received audio data to the speaker361, and the speaker 361 converts the electrical signals into soundsignals for output. On the other hand, the microphone 362 converts thecollected sound signals into electrical signals, the electrical signalsare received by the audio circuit 360 and converted into audio data, andthen the audio data are output to the processor 380 to be processed, andthen sent to, for example, another terminal through the RF circuit 310.Alternatively, the audio data are output to the memory 320 for furtherprocessing. The audio circuit 360 can also comprise an earplug jack toprovide communication between a peripheral earphone and the displayterminal 300.

The display terminal 300 can help the user to send and receive emails,and browse a web and access streaming media through the transmissionmodule 370 (for example, a Wi-Fi module). The display terminal 300provides the user with wireless broadband Internet access. Although thetransmission module 370 is shown in the drawing, it can be understoodthat the transmission module 370 is not a necessary component of thedisplay terminal 300 and can be omitted as needed without changing theessence of the present invention.

The processor 380 is a control center of the display terminal 300, whichuses various interfaces and lines to connect various parts of the entiremobile phone, runs or executes the software programs and/or the modulesstored in the memory 320, and accesses the data stored in the memory 320to perform various functions of the display terminal 300 and process thedata, so as to monitor the entire mobile phone. Optionally, theprocessor 380 can comprise one or more processing cores. In someembodiments, the processor 380 can integrate an application processorand a modem processor, wherein the application processor mainly handlesoperating systems, user interfaces, and application programs, and themodem processor mainly deals with wireless communication. It can beunderstood that the foregoing modem processor can be not integrated intothe processor 380.

The display terminal 300 also comprises the power supply 390 (such as abattery) for supplying power to various components. In some embodiments,the power supply 390 can be logically connected to the processor 380through a power management system, so as to manage charging,discharging, power consumption, and other functions through the powermanagement system. The power supply 390 can also comprise any componentssuch as one or more of a DC or AC power source, a recharging system, apower failure detection circuit, a power converter, an inverter, or apower status indicator.

Although not shown, the display terminal 300 can also comprise a camera(such as a front camera, a rear camera), a Bluetooth module, etc., and adetailed description is omitted herein for brevity. Specifically, in thepresent embodiment, a display unit of the display terminal 300 is atouch screen display, and the display terminal 300 further comprises thememory 320. As shown in FIG. 4 , the acquisition module 10, the currentdetermining module 20, the signal determining module 30, and the drivingmodule 40 can be the application programs stored in the memory 320. Theprocessor 380 in the display terminal 300 runs the acquisition module10, the current determining module 20, the signal determining module 30,and the driving module 40 stored in the memory 320, so as to realizevarious functions. When the acquisition module 10 is executed by theprocessor 401, the acquisition module is used to acquire the grayscaledata of the displayed image. When the current determining module 20 isexecuted by the processor 401, the current determining module 20 is usedto determine the target current level from the preset multiple currentlevels according to the grayscale data. When the signal determiningmodule 30 is executed by the processor 401, the signal determiningmodule 30 is used to determine the pulse width modulation signalaccording to the grayscale data. When the driving module 40 is executedby the processor 401, the driving module 40 is used to drive the lightemitting elements to emit light according to the target current leveland the pulse width modulation signal.

In practice, each of the above modules can be realized as an independententity, or the above modules can be combined arbitrarily or realized asa same entity or several entities. For specific implementation of eachof the above modules, please refer to the previous method embodiments,and a detailed description thereof is not repeated here for brevity.

Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part ofthe steps in the various methods of the foregoing embodiments can becompleted by instructions, or through instructions to control relatedhardware. The instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storagemedium. The instructions are loaded and executed by the processor.Accordingly, the present invention provides a storage medium in which aplurality of instructions are stored, and the instructions can be loadedby a processor to execute the steps in any driving method of the displaypanel according to the present invention.

The storage medium can include: a read only memory (ROM), a randomaccess memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, etc.

The instructions stored in the storage medium can execute the steps inany driving method of the display panel provided in the presentinvention. Therefore, this can achieve the beneficial effects that canbe achieved by any driving method of the display panel provided in thepresent invention. For details, please refer to the previousembodiments, and a detailed description thereof is not repeated here.

For the specific details of each of the above operations, please referto the above embodiments, and a detailed description thereof is omittedherein for brevity.

What is claimed is:
 1. A driving method of a display panel, wherein thedisplay panel comprises a plurality of light emitting elements, thedriving method comprises following steps: obtaining a grayscale data ofa displayed image; determining a target current level from presetmultiple current levels according to the grayscale data; determining apulse width modulation signal according to the grayscale data; anddriving the light emitting elements to emit light according to thetarget current level and the pulse width modulation signal.
 2. Thedriving method of the display panel according to claim 1, wherein thesmaller the grayscale data is, the lower the corresponding current levelis.
 3. The driving method of the display panel according to claim 1,further comprising following steps: determining a display brightnessrange of the display panel; determining a current range corresponding tothe display brightness range; and setting the multiple current levels inthe current range.
 4. The driving method of the display panel accordingto claim 3, wherein the step of setting the multiple current levels inthe current range comprises: uniformly selecting multiple current valuesin the current range, the current values comprising a maximum currentvalue and a minimum current value in the current range; and taking thecurrent values as the current levels.
 5. The driving method of thedisplay panel according to claim 1, further comprising: determining adisplay grayscale range of the display panel; equally dividing thedisplay grayscale range into multiple grayscale ranges; and establishinga one-to-one correspondence between the current levels and the grayscaleranges.
 6. The driving method of the display panel according to claim 1,wherein the displayed image comprises a plurality of pixel subareas, andthe grayscale data comprises a subarea grayscale value of each of thepixel subareas; and the step of obtaining the grayscale data of thedisplayed image comprises: obtaining a grayscale value of each of pixelsin the displayed image; and taking each of the pixel subareas as atarget pixel subarea, calculating an average grayscale value of all thepixels in the target pixel subarea, and taking the average grayscalevalue as the subarea grayscale value of the target pixel subarea.
 7. Thedriving method of the display panel according to claim 6, wherein thetarget current level comprises a subarea current level corresponding toeach of the pixel subareas; and the step of determining the targetcurrent level from the preset multiple current levels according to thegrayscale data comprises: determining a target grayscale range to whichthe subarea grayscale value of the target pixel subarea belongsaccording to a grayscale range corresponding to each of the presetcurrent levels; and taking the current level corresponding to the targetgrayscale range as the subarea current level corresponding to the targetpixel subarea.
 8. The driving method of the display panel according toclaim 7, wherein the pulse width modulation signal comprises a pulsewidth modulation sub-signal corresponding to each of the pixel subareas;and the step of determining the pulse width modulation signal accordingto the grayscale data comprises: when the subarea current levelcorresponding to the target pixel subarea is a maximum current level,determining the pulse width modulation sub-signal corresponding to thetarget pixel subarea according to the subarea grayscale value of thetarget pixel subarea; and when the subarea current level correspondingto the target pixel subarea is not the maximum current level,determining a compensated subarea grayscale value from a presetgrayscale compensation table according to the subarea grayscale value ofthe target pixel subarea, and determining the pulse width modulationsub-signal of the target pixel subarea according to the compensatedsubarea grayscale value.
 9. The driving method of the display panelaccording to claim 8, wherein the light emitting elements are dividedinto a plurality of backlight subareas, and the backlight subareas arearranged corresponding to the pixel subareas in a one-to-onecorrespondence; and the step of driving the light emitting elements toemit light according to the target current level and the pulse widthmodulation signal comprises: driving the light emitting element in thebacklight subarea corresponding to the target pixel subarea to emitlight according to the subarea current level and the pulse widthmodulation sub-signal corresponding to the target pixel subarea.
 10. Adriving device of a display panel, wherein the display panel comprises aplurality of light emitting elements, and the driving device comprises:an acquisition module configured to obtain a grayscale data of adisplayed image; a current determining module configured to determine atarget current level from preset multiple current levels according tothe grayscale data; a signal determining module configured to determinea pulse width modulation signal according to the grayscale data; and adriving module configured to drive the light emitting elements to emitlight according to the target current level and the pulse widthmodulation signal.
 11. The driving device of the display panel accordingto claim 10, wherein the smaller the grayscale data is, the lower thecorresponding current level is.
 12. The driving device of the displaypanel according to claim 10, further comprising a setting module,wherein the setting module is configured for: determining a displaybrightness range of the display panel; determining a current rangecorresponding to the display brightness range; and setting the multiplecurrent levels in the current range.
 13. The driving device of thedisplay panel according to claim 12, wherein the setting module isfurther configured for: uniformly selecting multiple current values inthe current range, the current values comprising a maximum current valueand a minimum current value in the current range; and taking the currentvalues as the current levels.
 14. The driving device of the displaypanel according to claim 10, wherein the driving device furthercomprises an establishment module, and the establishment module isconfigured for: determining a display grayscale range of the displaypanel; equally dividing the display grayscale range into multiplegrayscale ranges; and establishing a one-to-one correspondence betweenthe current levels and the grayscale ranges.
 15. The driving device ofthe display panel according to claim 10, wherein the displayed imagecomprises a plurality of pixel subareas, and the grayscale datacomprises a subarea grayscale value of each of the pixel subareas; andthe acquisition module is also configured for: obtaining a grayscalevalue of each of pixels in the displayed image; and taking each of thepixel subareas as a target pixel subarea, calculating an averagegrayscale value of all the pixels in the target pixel subarea, andtaking the average grayscale value as the subarea grayscale value of thetarget pixel subarea.
 16. The driving device of the display panelaccording to claim 15, wherein the target current level comprises asubarea current level corresponding to each of the pixel subareas; andthe current determining module is also configured for: determining atarget grayscale range to which the subarea grayscale value of thetarget pixel subarea belongs according to a grayscale rangecorresponding to each of the preset current levels; and taking thecurrent level corresponding to the target grayscale range as the subareacurrent level corresponding to the target pixel subarea.
 17. The drivingdevice of the display panel according to claim 16, wherein the pulsewidth modulation signal comprises a pulse width modulation sub-signalcorresponding to each of the pixel subareas; and the signal determiningmodule is also configured for: when the subarea current levelcorresponding to the target pixel subarea is a maximum current level,determining the pulse width modulation sub-signal corresponding to thetarget pixel subarea according to the subarea grayscale value of thetarget pixel subarea; and when the subarea current level correspondingto the target pixel subarea is not the maximum current level,determining a compensated subarea grayscale value from a presetgrayscale compensation table according to the subarea grayscale value ofthe target pixel subarea, and determining the pulse width modulationsub-signal of the target pixel subarea according to the compensatedgrayscale value.
 18. The driving device of the display panel accordingto claim 17, wherein the light emitting elements are divided into aplurality of backlight subareas, and the backlight subareas are arrangedcorresponding to the pixel subareas in a one-to-one correspondence; andthe driving module is also configured for: driving the light emittingelement in the backlight subarea corresponding to the target pixelsubarea to emit light according to the subarea current level and thepulse width modulation sub-signal corresponding to the target pixelsubarea.
 19. A display terminal, comprising a processor and a memory,wherein the processor is electrically connected to the memory, thememory is configured for storing instructions and data, and theprocessor is configured for executing following steps: obtaining agrayscale data of a displayed image; determining a target current levelfrom preset multiple current levels according to the grayscale data;determining a pulse width modulation signal according to the grayscaledata; and driving light emitting elements to emit light according to thetarget current level and the pulse width modulation signal.
 20. Thedisplay terminal according to claim 19, wherein the smaller thegrayscale data is, the lower the corresponding current level is.